Busting 10 Myths About RA and Other Autoimmune Diseases
When people with autoimmune disease visit our practice, they often arrive with
misconceptions about their disease. They’ve heard myths that simply aren’t true and can get in
the way of their healing. These autoimmune disease myths also can lead them to lose hope.
Every day in our practice, we see our members taking small steps that lead to big
improvements. We have seen autoimmune disease stop in its tracks and we have even seen it
turn completely around. Good outcomes are possible for people with autoimmune diagnoses
and we can tell you that from experience.
When you are armed with the facts- not the myths- you can feel more hopeful about your
journey with autoimmune disease.
Myth #1: “Autoimmune disease is genetic — you can’t do anything about it.”
Truth:
There’s a saying that “Genetics may load the gun, but environment and lifestyle pull the
trigger.” This is true for autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), lupus, or many
others. Gut health, infections, toxins, stress, and diet all influence whether those autoimmune
genes turn on or not, and how intensely they impact the body. These considerations are all
known as epigenetic factors, which refers to their ability to impact our genetics and our health,
even though they do not change the actual DNA sequence of our genes. To discover more
about genetics, epigenetics, and autoimmune disease, see our blog post: Are Autoimmune
Diseases Hereditary and Can You Reduce Your Risk?
Myth #2: “Once you have an autoimmune disease, it’s all downhill from there. It’s progressive
and irreversible.”
Truth:
Many people achieve autoimmune remission, dramatic symptom relief, and get their quality
of life back through lifestyle changes, functional medicine, and targeted support. Autoimmunity
is not always a one-way street — the immune system is highly modifiable. Autoimmune disease can be turned around. With the right support, your life doesn’t have to revolve around your
diagnosis.
Myth #3: “Diet doesn’t affect autoimmune disease.”
Truth:
Food affects inflammation, gut permeability, nutrient status, and immune regulation. Studies
show diets like the autoimmune protocol diet (AIP), gluten-free diet, or Mediterranean diet can
reduce autoimmune disease symptoms and flares. The best diet for autoimmune disease can
vary for each individual, but diet always matters. If you’d like to learn more, check out our
article on the best diet for ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Or find out why gluten-free
diets can be so helpful in autoimmune disease.
Myth #4: “Just take immunosuppressants and you’ll be fine.”
Truth:
Immunosuppressants can be life-saving and necessary — but they don’t address the root
causes of autoimmune disease. Without working on gut health, infections, stress, or other
underlying triggers, the immune system will likely continue misfiring beneath the surface. That
means the autoimmune process continues to progress, instead of stopping or reversing.
Myth #5: “Your lab results are fine so your symptoms are just in your head.”
Truth:
Many patients experience autoimmune symptoms for a long time before their doctors believe
them or before they are properly diagnosed. Autoimmunity often begins years before lab tests
show full-blown disease. People may feel exhausted, inflamed, or anxious, long before their
antibody titers or imaging tests show any signs of autoimmune disease. Autoimmune disease
can present with mysterious, shifting symptoms, and deserves a deeper look — not dismissal.
Functional autoimmune disease testing and a good functional medicine practitioner who uses
their clinical intuition are essential.
Myth #6: “Only specialists for the body part affected can treat autoimmune disease.”
Truth:
When people have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, they may be referred to an endocrinologist (a
doctor specializing in hormone-related problems). When rheumatoid arthritis is detected, they
may be sent to a rheumatologist (a doctor specializing in inflammatory disorders of the joints).
However, autoimmune disease is a whole-body, whole-person disease, not isolated to one
organ. Often, the most progress comes from working with generalists or functional medicine
practitioners who understand systems biology and root causes. These types of practitioners
treat the body as a whole. They will target the underlying dysfunction found throughout the
body, not just in one specific organ or system.
Myth #7: “Autoimmune disease only affects older people or women.”
Truth:
Autoimmunity affects people of all ages and sexes, including men and children. While some
autoimmune conditions are more common in women, anyone can develop an autoimmune
disease. In our practice we have been seeing more and more young people developing
autoimmune and chronic health diseases, even kids.
Myth #8: “If the symptoms are not visible (like a rash or joint deformity), they are not real.”
Truth:
Most autoimmune symptoms are invisible — fatigue, brain fog, pain, depression, anxiety. That
doesn’t make them any less real or deserving of care. When clinicians brush off these subjective
symptoms because they are not visible to the human eye, they delay proper diagnosis and
treatment of autoimmune diseases.
Myth 9: “If you feel better on your medications, then they are fixing the problem.”
Truth:
Medications like steroids, NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), or biologics
may suppress symptoms by calming inflammation or halting immune attacks. However, they do
not fix the underlying problems with the immune system. These drugs can be important and
even life-saving, but they often act like a mute button, not a reset button.
Many patients feel better temporarily when taking medications for autoimmune disease, but
their disease progresses silently underneath the surface. Symptoms flare up again when
medications are stopped. Medications may stop working and increasingly powerful medications
may be prescribed to effectively suppress the symptoms.
True healing involves asking and answering these questions:
- Why is the immune system misfiring in the first place?
- What’s triggering or sustaining the inflammation?
That’s where a functional medicine approach including lifestyle, gut repair, infections, trauma,
and detox comes in to play — to address root causes and help the body regulate itself again.
Myth #10: “Autoimmune disease is just an overactive immune system that needs to be
suppressed.”
Truth:
Autoimmunity isn’t just about too much immune activity — it’s about a misdirected or dysregulated immune response. The immune system is confused, not just aggressive. Suppressing it with medication may reduce symptoms, but it doesn’t solve why it’s attacking healthy tissue. In fact, many autoimmune patients have immune imbalances—such as low regulatory T cells, chronic infections, or breakdown of the body’s defensive barriers—that need support, not suppression. Functional approaches aim to help the immune system self-correct by:
- Healing gut permeability (“leaky gut”)
- Calming chronic inflammation
- Removing triggers like toxins, food sensitivities, or harmful microbes
- Supporting immune balance through lifestyle and nutrients
It’s not about shutting the system down—it’s about helping it remember the right way to
behave so that it helps you- instead of hurts you.
Can Autoimmune Disease Be Reversed?
Autoimmune disease can’t always be reversed. But you can soothe the autoimmune symptoms
so that you can go into autoimmune disease remission and lead a normal, happy life. At the
Caplan Health Institute, we can help you overcome your autoimmune challenges. The first
step? Schedule a free 15-minute discovery consultation by phone or video.
If you decide to come on board as a practice member, we can order autoimmune disease
testing that digs down to the root cause of your autoimmune condition. By identifying your
triggers, we can help reset your immune system for the better. We call our patients practice
members because they take an active role in their health. In addition, our Caplan Health
Institute coaches can work with you to make sure you’re sticking with the plan. We’ll support
you on your autoimmune healing journey every step of the way.
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